Pat Hobbs settled into an orange vinyl booth in a busy New York diner across the street from Madison Square Garden and waited for his guest. It was March 2016 and Rutgers was in a state of, well, Rutgers, and Hobbs, fresh off another losing season, desperately needed a men’s basketball coach. Danny Hurley had been the leading choice among praying fans but had withdrawn from consideration. If Hobbs had asked 23 and Me to suggest a candidate to replace Eddie Jordan, it couldn’t have found a guy with more New Jersey hoops DNA than Hurley.

But splashy wasn’t an option anymore.

So, here in the Tick Tock Diner — not the iconic New Jersey spot on Route 3 in Clifton, but a 280-seat Manhattan landmark with wall-to-wall framed artwork and a fried chicken, egg and pimento cheese sandwich special for $10.95 — Hobbs waited for The Next Interview, wondering if this was The Guy. Jordan had been 29-68, and Rutgers had lost 33 of its 36 Big Ten games since joining the conference two years earlier. And these weren’t close losses: Rutgers was getting hammered. Hobbs needed a coach who could fix it.

Over crumpled-up sugar wrappers and empty creamer containers, with a waitress pouring piping-hot refills, he listened as Steve Pikiell stirred his coffee and, while outlining his plan, stirred Hobbs to give him the job.

“From the first meeting with Steve — the guy with passion, with humor, with intensity was on display,’’ Hobbs said. “Right from the beginning he said, ‘Rutgers is a great job. It’s a great opportunity. I’ve won everywhere. I’ve done it the right way.’ So I have to tell you, this was a guy who pretty quickly rose to the top of the list.”

Like, in minutes. Here is that diner discussion in 25 words or less:

Hobbs: “I want a guy who is up to a major rebuild.”

Pikiell: “I want the challenge.”

Hobbs: “Excuse me, I have to make a call.”

(But more on that call later.)

Hobbs told NJ Advance Media that he spoke to five candidates during the search, but declined to identify them. Former George Washington coach Mike Lonergan and ESPN analyst Jay Williams also withdrew their names during the search, but Hobbs said Pikiell was on his shortlist “at the beginning.’’ Hurley, now the coach at UConn, pulled out early in the process, according to Hobbs, who said: “He had a really strong team at Rhode Island at the time. People think there were offers but Steve was the only guy who ever got an offer.’’

"My favorite statement,'' Hobbs said, recalling his introductory meeting with Pikiell, "was ‘I’ll walk the Turnpike to get this job.’ That visual of Steve walking down the Turnpike to New Brunswick — that’s the guy you want.''

Jim Calhoun, the former Connecticut coach who won three national championships with the Huskies, knew Pikiell was ready for the task of rebuilding the struggling Rutgers program. It’s why he called Hobbs early in the process to predict one of his first recruits “will do a great job.’’

“He’s not going to work miracles," Calhoun recalled telling Hobbs, “but he’s going to get Rutgers back where they think they belong and where I think they belong."

There was plenty of evidence: Pikiell compiled a 190-155 record in 11 seasons at Stony Brook, and he was coming off a 24-6 season that included an NCAA Tournament appearance.

After his Stony Brook team had dropped a first-round game to Kentucky, Pikiell agreed to meet with Hobbs. A former two-year captain for Connecticut from 1987-91, Pikiell brought with him a resume that included assistant stints at Yale, Central Connecticut and George Washington before taking over a Stony Brook program with just one winning record in the 12 seasons before his arrival.

“I loved Stony Brook, but I felt like I had done my job there, and I’m a challenge guy,’’ Pikiell said last week. “I knew (Rutgers’) roster. I had followed them. I knew the Big Ten had some of the best programs, the best coaches (and) to have the challenge of going against some of those, I was ready for that.’’

Stony Brook lost to Kentucky in Des Moines, Iowa, on St. Patrick’s Day. Pikiell returned to campus with his team the next morning and, on Saturday, woke up early for the Rutgers interview.

“I got up at 5 o’clock after a few hours of sleep,’’ Pikiell said. “The nice part of getting up that early is you don’t hit any traffic heading into the city.’’

***

A picture of the iconic Tick Tock Diner in New York.

Because he considers himself “a Northeast guy,’’ Pikiell let people know Rutgers was a big-time program he’d take if he left Stony Brook. But he had other suitors. In fact, Pikiell said he had an interview scheduled with another school — he declined to identify it — after his meeting with Hobbs the next day.

“I was getting ready to get on a plane and honestly didn’t want to,’’ Pikiell said. “I was just thankful. I really liked (Hobbs). I had a good job. I was at a good place and I had a good team returning. We just talked — talked about Rutgers, about the opportunity to build it, and I just told him, ‘This is who I am, this is how I’ll do it. I’ll do it right. You can sleep at night (because) I’ll build a program. I’m not a shortcut guy. Just going to build it. I’ve built it in a lot of places. ‘I’m confident if you give me this opportunity, I won’t let you down.’ ''

Hobbs took mental notes between sips of coffee.

“He talked about how Jim Calhoun always talked about how Rutgers can be a really good job,'' Hobbs said. "There are things that need to happen in order for that to be the case, but given our location, and given it’s a public university, with the right sort of resources, that can be a really great job.

“So when we sat across from each other we said, ‘What's it going to take? What's it going to take to build this?’ I said, ‘We're going to build a practice facility so you're not going to be without resources. But it's going to take some time. You'll get the time.’’’

During his time as AD at Seton Hall, Hobbs hired then-Iona coach Kevin Willard. After five middling seasons, Willard has guided the Pirates to four straight NCAA appearances. Today, Seton Hall sits atop the Big East standings and appears on the verge of a Top 10 national ranking after rebounding from a 68-48 loss at Rutgers in December.

“I talked to Steve about the way Kevin (Willard) came in to Seton Hall and how we needed patience,’’ Hobbs said. “Kevin didn't take over a program in the basement -- the program was in the sub-basement. And it was not unlike the situation at Rutgers.

“And Steve’s story at Stony Brook is nothing short of incredible. He took over a program that had just moved up to D-1, had an abysmal APR situation, had no facilities, and was in the basement of the America East Conference. I needed a guy who would be able to grind, a guy who's going to be able to weather a few really tough years in a rebuild.’’

“Whatever I ordered, I probably ate a bite or two because whether it's fundraising, whether it's talking to coaches, you're there to work,’’ Hobbs said. “Interviews are work. You're trying to read a response, you're trying to remember, you're judging body language, you're judging everything. I eat at home at night.’’

By the time the waitress delivered the check, Hobbs had found his coach.

“I just knew,’’ Hobbs said. “I knew this is my guy.''

He excused himself to make a phone call — to Rutgers Board of Governors’ athletics committee chair Greg Brown.

“We weren't the only people interested in Steve, so I didn't want to let any time pass. We finished the interview, I stepped out, and I called Greg,’’ Hobbs said. “I told him, ‘This is the direction I think we should go.’ Greg was 100 percent supportive. We sort of did the terms right there on the phone.

“And then I walked back in, I shook Steve's hand, and I said, 'Welcome to Rutgers. You're not getting on any planes tomorrow. You're coming to Rutgers.’ We did the deal on a handshake.’’

Pikiell said “there was no hesitation.”

“I wanted the job,’’ said Pikiell, standing on the practice court inside the recently completed $115 million RWJ Barnabas Health Athletic Performance Center. “We didn’t talk details. There was no going back and forth about anything. It was, ‘Pat, I trust you, and let’s go.’ I told him I wouldn’t let him down and we’ve been at work ever since.’’

***

Forty-six months after agreeing to a deal in that New York diner, Pikiell has Rutgers on track for its first NCAA Tournament in nearly 30 years. Winners of eight of their last nine games, the Scarlet Knights (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten) stand in second place in the conference standings.

Should Rutgers earn an elusive NCAA berth, Pikiell figures to be a favorite for National Coach of the Year. And even though he signed a three-year, $8.85 million contract extension in January 2018 that gives him job security through the 2023-24 season, Pikiell could draw interest from other schools if he can do what none of the previous five Rutgers coaches could.

“We’re trying to build a program,’’ Pikiell said. “I’m fortunate. I have a good staff and there’s good people here. I love Rutgers, I love the whole environment, I love the fans, I love my team. We built it and we just have to keep climbing the ladder.’’

Hobbs, of course, has no regrets over his decision.

“People are really excited about the direction Steve has the program going in, but the Big Ten is loaded and there will be hard days ahead,’’ he said. “But he’s going to continue doing it the right way and once this program is rolling the way he will get it rolling, we’re going to be a contender in the Big Ten for years to come.''

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